Standing Next To You-Chapter 278: The Top Rank

Bei Sangyun did not put the container in her bag but hugged it as she walked.

The class had ended, and she was walking towards the school gate with Fei Chuan.

Bei Sangyun suddenly remembered what she had said to the advisor. There was one thing she hadn’t addressed with Fei Chuan.

She stopped in her tracks, which also caused Fei Chuan to halt.

"Fei Chuan, what rank are you in school right now?"

"I am the last person ranking in class. So perhaps...around the 26th ranking?"

"...twenty-sixth? Why do you rank so low?"

Fei Chuan stared at her. "You know the reason."

Bei Sangyun blinked, and realization dawned on her. "...Right, isn’t it because of me?"

Bei Sangyun had indeed used dirty tactics to keep Fei Chuan from obtaining the number one ranking.

When she first learned that Fei Chuan had also enrolled at the same school as her, she used her influence to keep Fei Chuan busy, aiming for the bad crowd to interrupt his path. But that spiraled into a worse situation where Fei Chuan became the target of bullying instead.

The past Bei Sangyun had feared having the number one ranking taken away from her. She couldn’t afford to lose her only advantage and could only hope that Fei Chuan, who was clearly smarter than her, would not take the number one spot.

But even though there were bullies everywhere, Fei Chuan should not have had such a low ranking. Bei Sangyun expected that he would be at least within the top five ranks.

Seeing the baffled look on her face, Fei Chuan shrugged. "I don’t really care about my ranking at school. I have been living low-key up until now. It doesn’t matter if I rank high or low."

There were reasons Fei Chuan couldn’t say. He’d better just keep them to himself.

Bei Sangyun turned silent. She lowered her head with her eyes down.

Fei Chuan glanced at her. Why did she suddenly become quiet?

Did he say something wrong?

Bei Sangyun hugged the container tighter. "...I don’t remember a lot of things. But my childhood days with you are vivid in my mind. I remember that the moment you entered my previous school, the first thing you did was catch up to my ranking."

On the day of her rebirth, she found herself dreaming of her childhood, especially the moments spent with Fei Chuan. Those memories remained vivid, etched into her mind, and Bei Sangyun could still recall them with clarity.

Bei Sangyun remembered that boy who seemed disinterested in everything. But the moment they were in competition, he looked so lively and full of energy. The hateful noble kid back then had fun competing with her.

She believed that aspect of Fei Chuan hadn’t changed.

Although Fei Chuan didn’t fight against her during their high school days and stayed low-key, when they met again several years later, Fei Chuan recovered his arrogant attitude, challenging her in the business world in every way.

She was certain that the current Fei Chuan still possessed that drive and fighting spirit, but was not showing it for some reason.

Maybe staying low-key was one of the reasons. But since he had decided not to stay low-key anymore, then there was no use in hiding his abilities.

Bei Sangyun looked up and met his gaze. "The Fei Chuan I remembered was very overbearing. If he stayed in one place and claimed to be the first, no one would be able to stop him. Not even me."

Bei Sangyun smiled. "You are no longer hiding. So what’s stopping you from showing the world who you truly are?"

She wished for him to express himself, not to fear revealing his true self. He was someone who deserved to be looked up to and admired.

At this moment, many people admired him because of his looks, but Fei Chuan hadn’t shown his abilities yet. If he did, Fei Chuan would be more respected and revered.

Perhaps, he didn’t need a tyrant by his side to protect himself, because he was very capable of doing it on his own.

Fei Chuan saw the message in her eyes and frowned. "You want me to take your rank?"

Bei Sangyun nodded with a smile.

Fei Chuan’s frown deepened. "I refuse."

Bei Sangyun: "...."

Her smile faltered. Did she hear him right?

"...W-why are you refusing? You have no reason to stay low-key anymore."

"...I am not only doing it just to stay low-key." Fei Chuan proceeded to walk, and Bei Sangyun followed.

"What other reasons could you have? Didn’t you say you no longer want to hide? Having the number one spot on your graduation will help you change your position in the Fei family."

"I can change my position in the Fei family without that."

"I don’t doubt you could do it. But it will be a great help for you if you start right now." A lot of things would change if Fei Chuan showed his capabilities now. It would create an advantage for him in the long run.

Instead of starting abroad, Fei Chuan could start here, then create another force abroad as his hidden force. No one would be able to stop him then. The Fei family could only watch as the whole family sank into Fei Chuan’s hand.

Bei Sangyun could see it; she bet Fei Chuan could see the benefits of graduating as the number one rank in Tian Shen High as well. It was a good starting place.

Fei Chuan stopped in his tracks and turned to her. "If I take your ranking, what will happen to you then? Will the Lin family just let you be?"

Unlike Bei Sangyun’s thoughts, Fei Chuan wasn’t envisioning his bright future when he graduated as the top rank. Instead, he was contemplating the aftermath if Bei Sangyun did not keep her top rank.

He was also paying attention to the Lin family and knew that they were just the worst as the Fei family. If Bei Sangyun, a half-illegitimate daughter, failed to secure the only thing that kept her afloat in the Lin family, she would face a lot of persecutions and lose a lot of support.

How could he take her only lifeline away from her?